President Trump is taking on rebellious sanctuary cities as he seeks to fulfill a key campaign promise: mass deportations of illegal immigrants, but blue city leaders are worried about federal restrictions that could lead to the removal of immigrants. It resists and feeds off any support to the authorities.
Tom Homan, President Trump's pick as border czar, has promised to issue a series of “game-changing” executive orders urging sanctuary cities to solidify their status as safe havens for migrants.
Cities from Chicago to San Diego are stepping up by reaffirming local ordinances that prohibit local law enforcement from assisting federal authorities in their removal efforts.
President Trump put illegal immigration front and center in his inaugural address on Monday, pledging to “immediately end all illegal immigration and begin the process of returning millions of criminal aliens to their homes.”
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the inauguration ceremony for the 60th president of the United States in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Monday, January 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
San Diego and Los Angeles, California
In November, following President Trump's election victory, the city of Los Angeles formalized a policy that further strengthens its status as a sanctuary city by prohibiting the use of city resources to support federal deportation efforts.
San Diego's Board of Supervisors passed a similar policy prohibiting county officials from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. California's history as a haven for immigrants was cemented in 2017 when former Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill making California a sanctuary state.
During President Trump's first term, he cut hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to sanctuary cities. The Biden administration reinstated the subsidies in 2021. Reuters reported.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, a vocal critic of the state's immigration policies, told Fox News Digital that he hopes to see “America return to the rule of law.”
“I will fight to protect our borders and oppose any benefits or incentives that encourage illegal immigration.” “We must put Americans first and protect the integrity of our nation.”
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Mayor Mike Johnston recently announced significant cuts to Denver's city government budget to better deal with the immigration crisis. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post, Getty Images)
denver, colorado
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston made headlines when he said he planned to go to jail for opposing President Trump's mass deportation plan and shared that he predicted a “Tiananmen moment” if that happened. It became. federal immigration officer We tried to do our job.
“Rather than having DPD stationed at the county line to stop them, we would have 50,000 Denver residents there,” Johnston said in an interview. Contains Denverite. “It's like Tiananmen, with roses and guns, right? So were all the moms on the plateau who rushed to help the immigrants.”
However, in a subsequent interview, 9 newshe ignored those comments.
“Would I have gone back if I could? Yes, I probably wouldn't have used that image,” Johnston said. “That's the image we want to avoid. What I was saying is, I hope we can avoid this in this country. No one would want that.”
But he said he was prepared to protest any activity he deems “illegal, immoral, or un-American” in the city, including the use of force, and later said he was prepared to go to jail for interfering with it. I was asked if there was one. A policy enacted by the government.
“Yeah, I'm not afraid of it and I'm not looking for it,” Johnston said. “I think the goal is to be able to negotiate with rational people how to solve difficult problems.”
Denver has seen an unprecedented influx of immigrants into the city under President Biden's administration, and Johnston has cut back on city services that house and feed immigrants.
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This week, on February 9, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia, an alien was arrested during a targeted crackdown conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigrant fugitives, re-entering persons, and criminal aliens. I was arrested. (Brian Cox/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via Getty Images)
Chicago, Illinois
on sunday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's Opposition His voice sounded loud and clear when he vowed to oppose Trump's plan.
“Chicago is in a strong position. Our resolve to protect and support our city is unwavering, no matter the circumstances,” Johnson wrote in a social media post Sunday. “We will continue to fight for justice and safety for all who call this place home.”
Johnson's statement came after the city pledged to continue complying with the Illinois Trust Act of 2017, which prohibits local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement.
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boston, massachusetts
After President Trump's election, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reiterated that Boston is a sanctuary city, saying she doesn't want immigrants to “hide in the shadows.”
“The last thing we want is to be part of our economy, part of our school system, part of our community, part of the fabric of our city. “It's about people suddenly feeling like they have to retreat into the shadows,” Wu said. He said this in an interview with WCVB. On record.
Like many sanctuary cities, Boston passed a bill that prohibits local law enforcement from asking people about their immigration status or sharing information with ICE. The Boston Trust Act was signed into law in 2014 under Mayor Marty Walsh and revised in 2019.
“The Boston Trust Act strictly prohibits local law enforcement from being brought into enforcement on a whim, regardless of the federal immigration law approach,” Wu said in an interview. WGBH.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey echoed the Boston mayor's sentiments, saying the Massachusetts State Police would “absolutely not cooperate” with immigration enforcement.
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Check out Trump's border czar on deportation plans:
The Wall Street Journal reported On Friday night, Trump's team was planning an immigration raid in Chicago starting Tuesday morning, four sources familiar with the plan said. The newspaper said between 100 and 200 police officers were on the scene to carry out the operation, which is expected to last a week.
Remove handcuffs from ICE…
President Trump's next border czar, Tom Homan, has promised large-scale raids as part of Trump's immigration crackdown.
“We're going to take the handcuffs off ICE and arrest criminal aliens. That's going to happen,” Homan said Friday on Fox News' “Jesse Waters Prime Time.” “What we're telling ICE: You're going to enforce our immigration laws without apologies. You're going to focus first on the worst, the threats to public safety first, but no one is going to leave that table. There's no way out. If they're in, there's a problem if they enter this country illegally. ”
“There will be massive attacks across the country,” Homan continued. “In many places, Chicago is just one of them. You can expect ICE to have 24 field offices across the country on Tuesday.”
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While there are major sanctuary cities that are trying to discourage President Trump's agenda, there are also some cities and states that are trying to support him.
In Colorado, the Douglas County Commission approved a resolution supporting President Trump's mass deportation plan. The unanimous vote approved the county, which borders the sanctuary city of Denver, as a “non-sanctuary county.”
For more information on the border security crisis, click here
“We intend to abide by federal immigration law,” Douglas County Mayor Abe Leydon told Fox News Digital. “We continue to uphold the U.S. Constitution and follow federal immigration law.”
“We want to empower local law enforcement and sheriff's offices to liaise with federal immigration authorities to obtain information and keep people in our communities safe,” he said. said. “As county commissioners, the three of us will protect the front lines of Douglas County and ensure the safety of our community.”
Many immigrants from Haiti are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
In the Texas border state, Land Secretary Dawn Buckingham has provided the government with more than 1,400 acres of land for the project. mass deportation operation.
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A letter to Trump obtained by FOX News Digital said his office is “not prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or U.S. Border Protection that would allow construction of the facility.” It's fully equipped.” Processing, detaining, and coordinating the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation's history. ”
Fox News Digital reached out to mayors' offices in Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago and Denver.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
